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The ASUS EN7600 GS has both 256MB and 512MB versions currently available on Newegg. What version was included in this article and how big a performance difference could we expect between the two? Thanks. Reply

Could you list the memory sizes of these cards, please? I have the 7600GS but with 512Mb, and I'm pretty sure there is a 256Mb version too. They're claiming the 512Mb version is faster, but I'm starting to feel bad about my purchase today (considering that the 6600GT, which was my old card) seems to even be faster in some instances (especially considering I paid the equivalent of $170 for the 7600GS and I could buy a new 6600GT for $90, albeit with only 128Mb mem).

A compounding factor is that I had the Gigabyte silent 7800GT but had to return it when dual mode did not work on it (some kind of problem the Gigabyte 7800GT apparently has, I can't recommend it to anyone).

hey
just a suggestion
if there could be a page with a listing of a plethora of cards and their relative performance versus each other so it can be easily seen if its worth upgrading to a newer generation

eg. someone has a 9800 pro; is a 7300gs faster? (ignore the obvious agp/pci-e fact)
or a x800gt vs a 7600gt?
its hard to look over your old articles to compare as some dont use the same benchies/resolutions/etc..

it doesnt have to be super accurate, only accurate enough to say card X is generally better than card Y

inclusion of high end older cards (5900, 9800, x800,6800 etc.) are important
as well as mainstream generational cards (6600,9600xt, -- god forbid 9200,6200 :)

if u could provide sys or case temps that'd be great so we can know what to expect in our own rig (my rig runs about 34c in the summer:o). really impressed @ how these babies perform considering they're so quiet, but as someone mentioned, the accelero x1 is indeed virtually silent albeit cools much better than the stock aircoolers. Reply

No fan = silent. 'Virtually silent' is marketting. Ambient noise may cover up a certain degree of noise (ideally all noise from the computer), but every fan gives a greater chance of it being audible, or worse (such as a VGA Silencer): grating and annoying, even when not terribly loud. Reply

"Virtually silent" is not marketing. If you have trouble with it - such as in a home theater setup - it's better to use extension cables to position the sound further away (such as behind a corner or a piece of furniture) than to embed an ~80C heat source in the computer.

As for my VGA Silencer, I can't hear it. My computer is under my desk, not on top of it. I have two low RPM 120mm fans in my ~$60 case and even when my CPU is overclocked and at full load the variable speed CPU fan barely goes above 1200 RPM while staying under 50C. That's pretty cool, IMHO.

IIRC, there were some VGA Silencers shipped out with bad fans. You might want to try getting a replacement if yours grates. Good fans do not grate. And if you are referring to the tons of junk out there that are misrepresented as "virtually silent," then I feel sorry for you. I bought a few such fans, and they sound like jet engines... Reply

""Virtually silent" is not marketing. If you have trouble with it - such as in a home theater setup - it's better to use extension cables to position the sound further away (such as behind a corner or a piece of furniture) than to embed an ~80C heat source in the computer."

Or just make it very quiet to begin with. With Turions, Pentium-Ms, and newer A64s, etc., it shouldn't be too hard.

"My computer is under my desk, not on top of it."

Same.

"CPU fan barely goes above 1200 RPM while staying under 50C."

Mine are all well under that (fastest is the Panaflo, ~700 RPM). I don't think I can get a diode reading, so won't trust what I have to be definitive (socket reading stays below 50, but Thermaltake's Orbs ruined any confidence in that--twice).

"IIRC, there were some VGA Silencers shipped out with bad fans."

No, it's from the design and materials. Not quite as loud as a standard A64 stock cooler, but annoying, and stays annoying even slowed down. The fan being part of the duct, and duct being brittle plastic are mainly to blame. Attaching another fan, even somewhat decoupled (1/2" of foam mouse pad), causes the same kind of noise, though far less pronounced. If softer plastic were used (which would likely not be clear), I don't think it would be bad at all.

No jet engines in sheep skin (but, I did start with them, ugh!):
Nexus 120mm (5v, might be removed soon, or upgraded to CPU fan duty)
Yate Loon 120mm from Fortron PSU (5v, soon to be replaced, being near as loud as the Silencer, if easier to listen to)
Panaflo L1A 80mm (5v, now in place of NV Silencer)
Adda 120mm in Seasonic S12 380 (I may try to isolate it a bit, if I get bored enough one day)

Either the entire system is inaudible (listening position and distance counts, as does ambient noise), or it can be heard. "Virtually silent" is a good way of saying, "it's not loud." But there is quite a gulf between "virtually silent," and, "is it really on?" If you're after "is it really on?", Gigabyte and Asus offer the only stock gaming cards worth considering, because it means no voiding the warranty--such a cooler as the X1 is not a good option (I should have considered a Geforce FX not an option *grumble*). Reply

You could always try getting a 7900 GTX and underclocking it. :) The big fans and HSF should do a good job at keeping the card cool if you drop clock speeds a bit. I'm not sure how well the RPM controls work on the cards, though. Reply

This review is so messed up that it's not even funny. Okay, maybe it is funny to laugh at how pathetic it is. Let me start:

1) The 7800GT Top Silent isn't available anymore. It was a limited edition run. GJ guys, there goes half of your article. (You even state this at the end that its not available. WTF dudes, what are you smoking?)

2) Extremely inaccurate test results. The O/Ced version of the 7600 GS is repeatedly listed as performing WORSE than the non O/Ced version. Niiiice. Also, performance for the 7600 GS INCREASES when going from a lower resolution to a higher one. Rofl.

3) Averaging core and memory % o/c's in a 50/50 weighted ratio gives the 7600GS an o/c os 9.9% avg, and the 7800GT TS a 9.25% avg. Yet you claim it overclocks better. Oh, right, you must have said that because the O/C version was performing worse. (I realize that the 7800GT TS is already factory o/c'ed. However, this means that you are guaranteed that stock clock. A real, consumer overclock is raising the clock to a speed that the chip [I}is not rated at. )

4) Hardly any mention of the EXTREME heat these cards put out. Into the air that should be going into your CPU, nonetheless. (Pointed out in an earlier comment). In fact, "the heatsink appears to be very affective at keeping the GPU cool" 95 C. Right, cool. In fact, if you understand the relationship between Heat and Temperature (two different things, people), you would understand that the 7800GT TS is in fact much worse for your case's ambient temps than the 7600GS, despite this articles claims to the contrary.

GJ guys, pat yourself on the back and go buy a few beers! You really deserve it! *rolls eyes* Reply

I forgot to mention why I think this shitty article came out: Asus paid them to do it. It's just like those shitty articles on Daily Tech about seemingly random product releases that are nothing other than shameless plugs. Reply

Actually, the 7600 GS Silent was released and they sent it to us for review (the same way we get nearly all products). Since it was a silent card and we hadn't looked at the 7800 GT yet, it was included as well as something of a reference point. Some people are interested in silence and don't care all that much about performance past a certain point, and that's where the 7600 GS fits in nicely.

As for the other comments above, the results in the 1600x1200 graphs look like they were reversed, and in fact all of the results look odd. I'm checking with Josh to verify, but it could be the OC'ed 7600 is throttling down due to heat. I'm not sure about the stability of the 7600 OC'ed either - Josh mentions artifacts, so I'm not sure if the final results he posted are "clean" or not. A 9% OC shouldn't give you 35=65% more performance, or cut performance a lot.

Other than that anamoly, the 7800 GT overclocks "more" because averaging RAM and GPU OCs is not normally an accurate way of quantifying performance. Most modern games are hitting the GPU harder than the RAM bandwidth (unless you have really slow RAM), so 15% is more than 11%. Honestly, I wouldn't even think about OC'ing a silent card, though. Maybe if you want to add a low RPM fan to it?

Temperatures are GPU core AFAIK, so 95C is not the surface HSF temperature. Remember that these cards aren't actually generating more heat than any other card based off of the same graphics chips; the only difference is that they're not dissipating heat as quickly because they don't have fans. Unless you are using a graphics card that expels heat outside of the case, these cards aren't actually increasing the ambient case temperature. Reply

Thanks for the response. I admit it was a bit of a troll. I was just disappointed with this article because I know AT can do so much better (IMO). Hopefully I elicited some motivation for improvement. Reply

I've disagreed many times here; if you read regularly, you'd have seen them, and you'll see them again. I just choose to do so in a manner that doesn't make me look like a 15-year old who's flunking 8th grade for the second time. Constructive criticism is one thing you apparently don't know how to do. Reply

It would be better to get a 7900GT ($290) and an Accelero X1 ($35). There is almost no discernable difference between silent and nearly silent, but the thermal difference is going to be HUGE. A large (i.e. 120mm) fan will thoroughly trounce the stock coolers while producing next to zero noise. Why pay $400 for a passively cooled 7800GT? Reply

If I understand the article correctly, this means the CPU fan is drawing in hotter air (because the air has pass over the extended heatsink). If correct, why didn't you test to see the effect of the newly obstructed and hotter airflow upon CPU temperature? Reply

Probably could cook a hotdog on that heatsink no problem. Where was this temperature measured and how was it measured? Thermalcouple? Onboard sensor? Was this the core temp or temperature of a certain part of the heatsink? This included the CPU fan's forced convection to aid in the GPU heatsink's cooling? Reply

The temps may be high, but many of us have cases with a rear 120mm fan directly in the path of the 7800's heatsink. For those that do, this would almost certainly serve to take care of that issue. Reply

Yes, but still well below the level that nVidia thinks is hot enough to throttle for safety. Sacrifices must be made, and cool temperatures are one. I've now gotten used to anything under three digits being OK. Reply